EOC Coach Revels In 'Old Guard'
As Thanksgiving Football Nears

EAST ORANGE- John Jacob’s full concentration heading into a 10:30 a.m. kickoff Thursday (Nov.27) vs. Barringer at Paul Robeson Stadium will be on preparing his East Orange Campus Jaguars for a strong performance in their final game of the 2025 season.

It will be 113th year of ‘The Old Guard’ Thanksgiving Day football tradition which has involved the old East Orange High School and EOC, which is the combined EO and Clifford Scott high schools since 2002, and the Barringer Blue Bears, one of the stalwarts of Newark city high school football.

But, also on the mind of the EOC coach will be what is happening down the Garden State Parkway at Roselle Park High School’s Herb Shaw Field where it will be the 106th and final Turkey Day game between Jacob’s high school alma mater Roselle Park and its neighborhood rival Roselle, formerly known as Abraham Clark High School.

Roselle Park and Roselle, the final Union County Thanksgiving Day game left, will move to a week 8 regular season meeting in 2026 as the on-going trend toward schools concentrating on the playoffs and that long post-season tournament taking precedence over traditional Thanksgiving Day rivalries which are now becoming even fewer and fewer around the state.

Fortunately, there is no indication that the EOC-Barringer Old Guard Turkey Day event will end any time soon as people such as former EOC Athletic Director Abdul Hassan and others work diligently each year to keep the game and the tradition vibrant.

“I have fine memories of playing in those Roselle Park-Roselle Thanksgiving games and any player from my generation or older feels different about those games and appreciate all the nostalgia that is there with those memories,” said Jacob, a 1992 graduate of Roselle Park where he was an ‘H’ back and linebacker for longtime Panthers coach John Wagner. “Our coaches always had us well prepared to compete at a high level which I always look to do here at East Orange, and I know our guys will be ready to go at full tilt in order to close our season on a high note.”

EOC (8-2) is coming off a tough 35-0 North 1, Group 5 playoff semifinal defeat at Passaic Tech on Nov. 7 when the Jaguars turned the ball over four times to hinder any hopes of a comeback against the Bulldogs, who proceeded to defeat EOC local rival West Orange, 56-42, in the N1G5 sectional championship game on Nov. 14.

“Sure, it was a tough defeat at Passaic Tech, but we have a real close-knit group and our kids always challenge each other to pick things up and get over any grief surrounding a loss as our entire program calibrates and the kids realize they have a chance to spend a couple of more weeks together while getting prepared for that next game which we fortunately have the opportunity to play on this upcoming Thanksgiving Day,” said Jabob. “We are certainly happy that the East Orange-Barringer Old Guard is alive and well and we’re fortunate to have a real active group of people who work together and do a great job of preserving some incredible history surrounding a game which dates back for more than century and includes great coaches through the years including Tom Dean who guided so many strong East Orange High School teams back in the day.” 

First up before EOC-Barringer Turkey Day football is the always-popular Old Guard Dinner which is set for 6-10 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 26, at the Westwood, 438 North Ave., in Garwood, which is a golden opportunity to break bread with old friends. Tickets are $75.

The pre-Thanksgiving dinner has been a tradition since 1921 and set to be honored in Memoriam at Wednesday’s always festive event are the legendary Barringer coach Frank Verducci and former EO tight end and longtime Old Guard member Dennis Perkins.

Also slated to be honored that night at the Westwood will be Hassan, Terence Brogdon, Hakeem Harvey, Daniel Stover, Carlos Thomas, Alfred Volpe and Keon Wade.

And, as another highlight of the evening, the first Old Guard Legacy Award will be presented to Donald Munford, Sr.

For further information or to obtain any remaining tickets for the dinner, you can call Stefanie Cuff-White at 908-249-2412 or Monique Munford at 973-609-9993 or send an email to: eooldguard@gmail.com 

The festive annual event sees a gathering of former East Orange High School and Barringer football players. The EO-Barringer football series is one of the oldest in the United States dating back to 1897. The game is held each year on Thanksgiving rotating between Barringer’s Schools Stadium in Newark and Robeson Stadium in East Orange.

This year’s game was originally scheduled for School Stadium; however, there is some work being done there which necessitated the game being played at Robeson Stadium for a second straight year.

Since the series was revived in 2009, the EOC Jaguars have won every meeting and leads the series, 64-39-9.

Barringer (2-6 this season) has not scored against the Jaguars since 2019 when the Newark school fell, 28-13. EOC rolled to a 62-0 win in last fall's contest.

There was no game played in 2020 because of the covid epidemic.

While the state playoffs take precedence in most circles, Thanksgiving still has a firm place in the hearts and minds of the dwindling number of schools that maintain the strong allegiance and devotion to Turkey Day football rivalries. 

There was an 18-year interruption in the Barringer-EO series due to conflicting schedules, but the Old Guard had its Turkey Day game back in 2009, and even though EOC has won the last 13 games, including 38-0 last year.

“The Thanksgiving game between East Orange and Barringer is nothing short of amazing,” said Abdul Hassan who remains a prime mover behind the annual Old Guard and helps organize proceedings surrounding the game.

"This tradition is so much fun!

“It all starts with the Old Guard’s dinner the night before it’s an incredible experience for all. The players that are selected to attend the dinner get to meet all the people that were in the game before them and it gives the kids a sense of pride and it’s the biggest game of the season for our team because of the tradition.

“It is like preparing for a championship game. The atmosphere on game day cannot be matched. It’s just a great tradition to be a part of!”

“The interesting facts are that the demographics of East Orange change and the history of the city is slowly forgotten. To that point, it is very important that the Old Guard continue their fine tradition of honoring the past players and the game that we historically love.”

Frequent attendees at the Old Guard dinner include Joe DiVincenzo, the longtime Essex County executive, who played at Barringer, former East Orange Mayor Ted Green and Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stevens, who went to East Orange High School.

In 2018 former NFL great Andre Tippet, the one-time Barringer all-state performer, came to the dinner at Iberia Restaurant.

“It’s such a great time to be able to see old friends and share memories of what all the Old Guard have experienced through the years,” said Hassan.

The Barringer-East Orange football tradition lives on and in this day and age of Thanksgiving Day games going by the wayside, it’s tremendous to see this annual holiday clash continue; and with gusto!”